Making Pizza from Scratch

Once in a while I indulge in take-out pizza. I usually order at Pizza Hut or at Domino’s Pizza. Both offer a wide variety of toppings and you can choose the thickness of the crust. When I am in the mood for a pizza night, I just order the largest size and eat them while watching my favorite TV program with a cold glass of beer.

Yesterday, I tried my hand on making pizza from scratch. Why did I decide to make pizza other than just ordering it and making my life easier? For one, making it seems a lot of fun. I can choose which recipe I want to make. I can add more toppings that I want. Lastly, cooking can be a comfort zone for me. 

For the dough, I found this recipe about making New York Style dough which intrigued me. New York Pizza Crust is known for its thinness and flexibility and with just a bit of bite on its crust. This one should be cooked in a pizza stone which luckily I have which I bought a few years ago. The recipe is fairly easy to follow. 

New York Style Dough

Ingredients Required

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105F)
• 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of yeast
• 1/2 cup cornmeal

Step by Step Procedure

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and salt in water.

1. Add oil and flour and stir with heavy spoon for 1 minute.
2. Turn out to a lightly floured surface and press into a circle.
3. Sprinkle yeast evenly over dough and knead for 12 minutes.
4. Divide dough into portions: 6 oz. for Calzones, 18 oz. for 12 inch, 25 oz. for 15 inch
5. Roll each portion into a ball. You want a dough ball without visible seams except the bottom.
6. Place dough balls in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow rising for 1−2 hours at room temperature to use the same day, or store in refrigerator to use the next day.
7. Place dough ball on lightly floured surface, and lightly flour the top. Use fingertips to evenly flatten out the dough ball. Work from the edges to the center press dough into a 12" circle. Place both hands within the shell edge and stretch with fingertips and palms maintaining an even pressure. Or, use a lightly floured rolling pin to stretch to desired shape.
8. Sprinkle cornmeal or semolina on pizza peel (a wooden paddle with a handle to slide the pizza in the oven) or a cutting board. The cornmeal allows the pizza to slide onto the stone easily.
9. After topping the pizza, when you are ready to cook it. Shake the peel or cutting board to make sure none of the dough is sticking.
10. Carefully slide the pizza into the oven.
11. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until crust is golden.

Next step is for the pizza sauce. I want my sauce to be made from fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes so I looked for a recipe which uses fresh tomatoes. Keep in mind not to use aluminum ware or pot when cooking this sauce because the acidity of the tomatoes will react to the pan. Tomatoes should be prepared first by boiling them for a few seconds and then placing them in ice bath. This will stop the cooking process and will make it easier for you to handle them when peeling. Remove the seeds to make sauce smoother.

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients Required

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 Cup chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 Italian plum tomatoes, peeled and minced
• 3 oz. canned tomato paste
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Black Pepper
• 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter, sliced

Step by Step Procedure

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
2. Sauté the onions in oil for 1 minute.
3. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low and stir in butter pieces.
7. When the butter is half melted, remove the skillet from heat and continue stirring until thoroughly incorporated.

Now for the toppings, I wanted to try the Pizza Margherita. Here are the toppings and the procedure to finally make the pizza

Pizza Margherita

Ingredients Required

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lb. plum Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 12" uncooked pizza dough
• 6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 6 fresh basil leaves cut into julienne strips
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Step by Step Procedure

1. Combine 2 Tbsp. olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and salt in bowl.
2. Allow to marinate while making dough.
3. Brush dough crust lightly with olive oil.
4. Top with cheese, then tomatoes.
5. Drizzle with olive oil.
6. Bake in preheated 500F oven on pizza stone for 8−10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.
7. Remove from oven and top with parmesan cheese, then basil.
8. Cool on a wire rack for 2−3 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

The pizza finally coming out of the over is a sight to behold for me. The cheese is all bubbly hot and the smell is divine. The dough has some amount of chewiness which I love. And the basil leaves makes it even more flavorful. There are just a few simple ingredients in Pizza Margherita but it is big in taste. The long process of making pizza from scratch is very rewarding once you taste the pizza. I thoroughly enjoyed doing pizza at home. I will definitely try this again but with a different type of dough and toppings.